Phil Coulson is portrayed by Clark Gregg in TV's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Gregg played the character throughout the series, which aired from 2013 to 2020, and also appeared as Coulson in several Marvel films and related projects.
Coulson was originally created for 2008's "Iron Man" as a seemingly ordinary S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He returned in "Iron Man 2" and "Thor," then became a major emotional catalyst in "The Avengers." Although Loki kills Coulson in that film, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." begins with his mysterious resurrection and his recruitment of a new team.
Within the series, Coulson grows from a field agent into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director. Gregg also portrayed related versions of the character, including Sarge/Pachakutiq and a Chronicom-enhanced Life Model Decoy. Those roles can cause confusion, but they are still performed by Gregg.
Clark Gregg's understated humor and calm professionalism helped make Coulson one of the MCU's most recognizable supporting characters.